What I find ironic about all this "it's a private matter" stuff I've seen on other forums and from the statement he and the CBS representatives are saying is this ......

All the other family stuff was never a "private matter". Dan happily accepted the notoriety it brought on, particularly in South Florida when it came to his autistic son, etc. etc. But when he screws up, it's private. We should not judge him for it.

This is just me personally, but if you parade yourself around as "A" (regardless of what happened on the field) and you turn out to be "B" then I'm going to re-think how I viewed you. I admired the man for more than how he played, although that was a large part of it. So this situation is tough for me to digest. A lot of his amazing records have been broken. He never won a Super Bowl .... and now he's effectively joined the ranks of the tabloid athlete. I never would've imagined this course.

His story will surely die out a little faster than other players, unless of course another woman/kid turns up. That is because on a national level, it's not quite the same story as if Joe Montana or Tom Brady had this happen. Still ...... the news just really disappointed me.

Dan happily accepted the notoriety it brought on, particularly in South Florida when it came to his autistic son, etc. etc. But when he screws up, it's private. We should not judge him for it.

Maybe this is me being picky, but using your fame to raise awareness and money for that cause is a good thing. I don't know if he pats himself on the back for it, I'm not in the Miami area and haven't seen any of his events.

However, I agree with your larger point. This goes for all athletes and celebrities, especially Hollywood, in that they love to be loved and cherished in the public eye but when their warts are exposed they cry foul. Part of it is our own fault as a society for feeding their egos and giving them a sense of entitlement. Its pathetic what we give importance to and who we devote our attention to.

I'll always be grateful for the fun I had watching him play as a Dolphin, but he definitely has taken a hit in my book. I've read that his wife isn't the greatest person but if she makes your life tough divorce her, don't cheat and ruin lives.